Baby, it was cold outside in 1816

Sunday

Mar 16, 2014 at 4:19 PM

By Chris BergeronDaily News staff

WALTHAM - If you think this was a cold winter, consider former Gov. Christopher Gore and his wife moved into their grand Waltham mansion in 1816, nowcalled "the year without summer’’ with nearly a foot of snow in June and crop-killing frosts in August.With spring just around the corner – except for last week’s snow and freezing weather – there’s still time to visit the stately federal-style mansion and see how grand and ordinary folks got through those cold New England winters in days of yore.A free exhibit, "Over the River and Through the Wood,’’ in the historic mansion’s Great Hall showcases rare artifacts including a restored sleigh, period clothing and the handwritten journal of farm manager Jacob Farwell who chronicled three-mile trips to a wood lot in Prospect Hill to keep the home fires burning.Organized by education specialist Susan Katz, the smallish but fascinating display opens a revealing window – brrrrrr – on a chilly season in the lives of a politician, businessman, diplomat, farmer and husband.Subtitled "An Uncommonly Cold Season,’’ it will remind viewers of a time not so long ago before central heat, insulated storm windows and electric blankets.Program Director Thom Roach said the restoration of the estate’s Carriage House, which held two sleighs and two carriages, inspired staff to organize an exhibit to show visitors how the Gores and others of their era would have coped with winter 200 years ago.A "pretty rare sleigh’’ with atypical runners of iron rather than wood has been brought inside for the exhibit. He said the carriage had an unusually low step to assist Gore, who suffered from arthritis that made walking increasingly difficult.Roach explained the exhibit takes its name from popular poem "Over the River’’ by author and abolitionist Lydia Maria Child, a near contemporary of the Gores who was born in Medford and buried in Wayland.Organizing the exhibit, Katz arranged several "vignettes,’’ or groupings of objects, that show how Gore, his wife Rebecca and their house staff would have lived during cold weather.A table divided down the middle lets visitors compare a contemporary breakfast with what the Gores might have eaten in 1816. Katz noted that since hens didn’t lay eggs in the winter back then breakfast consisted "last night’s leftovers,’’ such as ham, toast, cheese and butter. Mmmmm, yummy.Katz said Gore’s letters cited "brutally cold weather’’ that kept "Mrs. Gore in her chamber,’’ perhaps one of the only heated second-floor rooms, for long stretches of time.Other displays show what folks wore in the early 19th century when they had to go outside.A couple of centuries before L.L. Bean fleece jackets and thermal underwear, visitors can check out a quilted woolen petticoat, a woman’s long wool cloak and a fur muff for keeping the hands warm.Roach said Gore, who followed scientific and agricultural developments, installed one of the country’s first central heating systems in his house.While scientists offer many reasons, Roach say most agree the "the year without a summer,’’ which dramatically affected crop production throughout New England and around the world, ocurred during an extended three-century period of cooling temperatures known as the Little Ice Age from 1550 to 1850. But he said it was likely most dramatically affected by the colossal volcanic eruption in 1815 of Mount Tambora in Indonesia which sent immense amounts of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight.Maybe this winter hasn’t been so bad after all.To accommodate visitors, Katz said temperatures in the mansion are generally kept at 58 degrees, not all that toasty by today’s standards."We think we have in so tough,’’ she said. "But with the limited means the Gores and their staff had to stay warm, we don’t have much right to complain.’’Chris Bergeron is a Daily News staff writer. Contact him at cbergeron@wickedlocal.com or 508-626-4448. Follow us on Twitter @WickedLocalArts and on Facebook."Over the River and Through the Wood: An Uncommonly Cold Season’’WHEN: Through March 31WHERE: Gore Place, 52 Gore St., WalthamINFO: 781-894-2798; www.goreplace.org